Gasket for hose-couplings.



E. A. SCHREIBER.

GSKET FOR HOSE COUPINGS.

APPLlcAnoN ma) DEc. :0, :9:5.

1 1 97,863. Emma sem. 12, 1916.

I r lTQ/Y v NW W A TTORNE Yf,

UNITED sTATEs PIENT oFFIoE.

EDWRD A. SCHREIBER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, SSIGN OR T0 CHICAGO CARHEATING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLVINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

GASKET FOR HOSE-COUPLINGS.

Speeificaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 12, 1916.

To aZZ whom z't may concern:

Be it yknown that I, EDWARD A. SCHREIBER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gasketsfor Hase- Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to and has for its object the provision of animproved form of gasketifor hose couplings, more particularly, for thehose couplings used in connection with the steam train pipes of railroad'trains The gaskets ordinarily used for coupling up the steam trainpipes of railroad cars are composed of Jenkins material, or other rubbercompositions, having properties similar to J enkins material. A gasketmade of a material of this sort, if long enough, will expand appreciablywhen steam is brought in contact therewith, and this circumstance isutilized to assist in making a tight joint betweenthe gasket of matingcoupler heads. This capacity of the gasket to eXpand, when subjected toheat, is not very great, unless the gasket is made extremely long, and,therefore, it is the usual practice to arrange the gasket in the hosecoupler so that it projects slightly beyond the face of the couplerhead. In this way, when mating coupler heads are coupled up the faces ofthe gaskets will be brought into intimate contact with each other, thegaskets being ordinarily compressed to a certain extent. The expansionof the gaskets under steam serves as an additional factor in insuring asteam-tight joint between the gaskets. This is the 'way the gaskets willoperate When they are new. Experience has shown, however, that afterthey have been in service for a short time, say for three or fourmonths, they shrink or become compressed and lose their capacity toexpand sufiiciently under the influence of steam, this effect being dueprobably to the high temperature to which they are subjected andpossibly also to the pressure which each gasket exerts against theother. Vhen this shrinkage, asit will be termed for want of a moregeneric name, takes place, the coupling necessarily becomes leaky. Thiscan only be remedied by replacing the gaskets with new ones. The ma-'ial of which the gaskets are made is relal-y expensive and theaggregate loss by railroads because of the shrinkage of gasketsotherwise usable is very considerable, besides which, the railroadcmployees are put to the inconvenience of renewing theA gaskets of thetrain line once or twice during a Winter season. i

My invention seeks to minimize this loss and inconvenience in the mannerto be hereinafter described.

The invention is illustrated, in the accompanying drawing, in which-Figure l is a longitudinal7 section of a coupling composed of two matingcoupler heads of ordinarv construction provided each with a gasket alsoof familiar type. F ig. 2 is a view, in perspective, of the preferredform of gasket made in accordance with my invention, and Fig. 3 is alongitudinal section of the same.

In the drawing, A and B are a pair of mating coupler heads each formedwith a recess C for a gasket D. The gaskets are preferably formed withcorrugations E engaged by keys F revolubly mounted in the coupler heads.The gaskets, it will be seen, project a trifle beyond the faces G of thecoupler heads so that when the latter are in coupled relation the endsof the gaskets are pressed closely one against the other. When steampasses through the coupler the gaskets expand, to the extent thatexpansion ispossible, so that the joint between them is perfectly steamtight. This is the way the gaskets are intended to work. But, as statedabove, they shrink after a certain period of service, usually about twomonths, so that it often happens that the space or crack between thegaskets of a coupler is too large to be taken up by the expansion of thematerial.

When the gasket has shrunk enough to make the coupling leaky itd-istaken out and thrown away and a new one put in its place. Frequently thegasket is in good condition except for the fact that it is too short. IfinjuredV at all the injury is likely to be on the outer face where itabuts against theV gasketin the mating` head. My invention contemplatestaking these shrunk or shortened gaskets D' (Figs. 2 and 3) andcementing to them an annular facing mem- 'ber H the thickness of whichis equal substa'ntially to the' longitudinal shrinkage of the originalgasket. This facing member is preferably formed of asbestoswith somesuitable filler, such asgraphite. An ordinary rubber cement is used forsecuring it to the body member D' of the gasket by a vulcanizingoperation, for example. Preferably though not'necessarily the facingmember is secured to the outer end of the gasket so that it provides arelatively tough wearing surface for contact with the gasket of themating head and covers any worn or frayed places on the original face ofthe gasket. The re-made gasket when so constructed is better than agasket composed entirely of rubber composition since its outer face istougher and Will stand more wear. By this arrangement also if the sideof the gasket is grooved for a lock key, as shown in the drawing, theaddition of the facing member does not alter the relationshi between thegroove and the key.

t seems to be the fact that after a gasket of -J enkins material, orother rubber composition having similar qualities, has been shortened bypressure and the influence of steam to a certain extent, furthertreatment under the same conditions produces no further shrinkage. Forthis vreason a gasket which has shortened because of 'three or fourmonths service and has been provided with a facing member as describedabove does not shrink when again subjected to the influence of steam andthe pressure resulting from the clamping action of the coupler heads andthe-expansibility of the gaskets. A re-made gasket of this sort will,therefore, last much longer than a gasket made entirely of the rubbercomposition. It will last until actually Worn out.

I claim:

1. A hose coupler gasket of a length to make a steam tight joint withthe gasket of a mating coupler head which is made shrunk by theapplication of heat and bypressure applied longitudinally thereof, andof a facin member secured to the outer end of said boy portion.

3. A hose coupler gasket of a length to make a steam tlght joint withthe gasket of a mating coupler head which is made up of a body portionof rubber compound v shrunk by the application of heat and by pressureapplied longitudinally thereof, and of a facing composed of asbestos anda filler secured to the outer end of the body portion.

4. A hose coupler gasket of a length to make a steam tight Joint Withthe gasket of a mating coupler head which is made up of a body portionof rubber compound shrunk by the application of heat and b pressureapplied longitudinally thereo and of a facing composed of asbestos andgraphite secured to the outer end of the body portion. A

5. A hose coupler gasket of a length to make a steam tight joint Withthe gasket of a mating coupler head which is made up of a body portionof rubber compound shrunk by the application of heat and b pressureapplied longitudinally thereo and of a facmg member secured to one endof said body portion, the thickness of which is substantially the sameas the longitudinal shrinkage of the body portion.`

.EDWARD A. SOHREIBER.

